A pot boy and a donkey

In the autumn of 1281 Margaret of Provence, dowager queen of France, decided to gather a coalition against Charles of Anjou, King of Sicily. She and her sister, Eleanor (the widow of Henry III of England), had spent years in fruitless negotiations to get practical recognition of their rights in Provence and the adjacent county of Fourcalquier. Charles, in their view, had unjustly deprived them. Added to this confusing mix were the ambitions of Charles of Salerno, also heir to Provence, and German pretensions to acquire the entire kingdom of Arles, of which Provence was the richest part.

In October Margaret wrote to her nephew, Edward I of England, informing him that her allies had agreed to assemble a great army at Lyons the following May. They included Edward’s brother Edmund, in his role as titular Count of Brie and Champagne, the archbishop of Lyons, the count of Savoy, Duke Robert of Burgundy, the count of the Free County, the count of Alencon, and several others. All these were endangered or annoyed by Angevin pretensions, and ready to form a grand military alliance to defend their interests.

Edward, so aggressive inside the British Isles, pursued the opposite policy on the continent. His desire was to unite all the princes of Europe for a grand passagium to the Holy Land: a proper one this time, in which everyone took part instead of leaving him alone to face forty thousand Mamluk berserkers with a pot boy and a donkey. At the same time he was fond of his mother and aunt, and couldn’t duck out of his feudal responsiblities.

In November he wrote to Margaret and promised to send troops to her aid, but also begged her to act prudently. At the same time he wrote to Pope Martin IV and his kinsman Charles of Salerno to urge settlement by arbitration. He explained that his ties with Margaret would compel him to assist her if it came to war. In an unusually personal touch - Edward’s letters are usually terse and businesslike - he opened his mind to Charles:

 “I am very reluctant in this matter. My heart is not in it, on account of the love between you and me. I pray you, do not take it amiss, for I call God to witness that, if the thing affected me only, I would do nothing against your wishes.”

In the event, war did not come. Charles was ready to fight in Provence, but Margaret’s allies - known as the League of Macon - made a mess of their preparations. A few weeks before they were due to go into action, the Sicilians revolted against Charles of Anjou.

 Attached is Margaret’s letter to Edward and an image of her seal.